 Governor Andy Beshear visited the City of Pikeville on Thursday afternoon, making multiple stops while in town to discuss the growth and progress of our area. With his appearances at Pikeville Medical Center's groundbreaking and ribbon-cutting ceremonies for their newest facility, the Me Too Children's Hospital, as well as the Pike County Fiscal Court and the University of Pikeville's Elliott School of Nursing, Governor Beshear took time to congratulate multiple community leaders and organizations on all of their recent accomplishments. You know, there have been times, moments in our history, moments where we stand at the cost of prosperity, where the mountains have been left out, where this region has been left out, whether it was access to certain parts of healthcare, whether it was that next generation of jobs, whether it was being a part of a changing energy or other economy, for far too often Eastern Kentucky has been left out. I'm here to tell you that that will never, ever, ever happen while I'm Governor. I'm committed to you. In particular, during his time at both PMC and Upox School of Nursing, the Governor addressed those gathered regarding the continued growing importance of ensuring proper access to adequate medical care for all Kentuckians. Think about not only how exciting but how profound what's happening today is we are in the midst of a pandemic and we are increasing access to healthcare right here in Pike County. It means another family won't have to travel hours to get the services that they need. It means that today the children of Pike County and the Region Read that you serve so well are going to be able to get more and better care to be healthier, to have brighter futures right here. Here at Pikeville Medical Center's Heart and Vascular Institute, we have assembled a comprehensive team of cardiac specialists bringing expertise from all regions of the nation and the world. We have coupled that with cutting edge technology, providing them the best equipment and operating rooms available. The result is comprehensive cardiac care for the people of our region that is second to none. The Heart and Vascular Institute at Pikeville Medical Center. Governor Beshear also sought to underline the importance of our healthcare professionals as well as both acknowledging and combating a nationwide nursing shortage that has been ongoing since before the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. To this end, the Governor was excited to further discuss not only PMC's new children's hospital but also the newly renovated facilities at Upox Elliott School of Nursing located on College Street in downtown as well as the school's new Rural Health Nursing Fellowship Program. So I'm beyond excited to be here today to continue to see access to healthcare a basic human right, continue to grow right here in Pikeville and at this hospital. The health of our children or our people at large right now would not be possible without incredible nurses, doctors. Every single person who works at this and every other healthcare facility across Kentucky, I cannot tell you how much we love you. I cannot tell you how grateful we are for you. I can't quantify the thousands of people that are still alive today walking around because of you and we have asked so much. We've asked you to test, to vaccinate, to treat, to hold hands. To guide us through this, we love you. Thank you so much for everything that you have done. If people now don't acknowledge that healthcare is a basic human right, they have been living on this planet the last 19 months. I used to think that access to healthcare was a difference between right and wrong and healthy and unhealthy. It is a difference between life versus death as we saw what happens when you can't staff a bed. We saw what happens when ultimately you have to take on more and more patients, convert more space into an ICU, ultimately sometimes even outsource some of that care to others in the community that can lift it up. We cannot let that happen ever again. And part of that is addressing a nursing shortage that is real. It was real before this pandemic, but it's been heightened by the pandemic. But what you are seeing today is an investment. An investment in our nurses and what an incredible program. First, let me tell you, you get through this program, you are going to have a job. And think about how many openings there are in Eastern Kentucky. There are over a thousand openings in Eastern Kentucky with good pay. As your governor, what I wouldn't do to attract a new industry that has a thousand jobs at that pay. This isn't just the right thing for our healthcare system. This is the right thing for our people. And you know what? At a time when we are desperate for more nurses, I'm going to include a loan forgiveness program in my recommended budget to the General Assembly. So provided that we get that pass, and I look forward to working with everybody on getting that pass, it means folks in this program not only would have a good job waiting for them, not only would get loan forgiveness, but would have 10,000 bucks in their pocket. How nice is that? For Mountain Top News, I'm Joshua Slung.